Evelyn Margaret Ralston, 1899 - 2010

Evanston resident had been listed as world's 52nd-oldest person

December 30, 2010|By Jonathan Bullington, Tribune reporter

Despite the longevity that made her the state's oldest resident and placed her among the few in the world to live well beyond a century, Evanston resident Evelyn Margaret Ralston didn't think 111 years made her special.

When she died on Wednesday, Dec. 29, the Los Angeles-based Gerontology Research Group had her listed as the 52nd-oldest person on Earth.

Miss Ralston sometimes grew annoyed by questions about the secret to long life, according to niece Betty Ann Ralston.

"When she was in her early 100s, people were always commenting about her age," Betty Ann Ralston recalled. "She said, 'I don't know why people are always asking me this. I'm not old.'"

Another niece, Mary Jane Alexander, said her aunt was embarrassed by the attention brought by her age.

"She felt she didn't care to live for the purpose of breaking some record," Alexander said. "She was not looking for any glory."

"I'm not that interesting," she said then. "I'm not that old. A lot of people are older than me."

It's difficult compiling a list of supercentenarians — people who have lived to at least 110 years old — because birth records were not as accurate in the late 1800s and early 1900s, said Dr. L. Stephen Coles, a gerontologist with the Gerontology Research Group.

Coles said his group is considered an authority on supercentenarians because of the rigorous standards used to confirm dates of birth. Three pieces of independent documentation must be produced and verified before adding someone to the list.

Born Oct. 17, 1899, Miss Ralston grew up on Lowell Avenue and Irving Park Road on the Northwest Side. Her father, Peter William Ralston, was a self-employed land surveyor. He and his wife, Hannah McAffee Ralston, had three sons — Kenneth, Thomas and William — and two daughters — Evelyn and Dorothy.

Miss Ralston's sister, Dorothy, died in 1919 of scarlet fever, but others in her family enjoyed long lives. Her father and mother lived to 90 and 83, respectively, and her three brothers died at ages 96, 95 and 80.

Miss Ralston never married, which she joked could have been the secret to her longevity, Betty Ann Ralston said.

"We always marveled at her longevity," said friend Genevieve McGivern. "We kidded about it. She would say she was always single, so she didn't have the worry of children and a husband."

In the early 1950s, Miss Ralston sold her parents' house in Chicago and moved to Evanston. She worked for more than 40 years as a secretary and stenographer at the United Methodist Church.

And though she occasionally left the state for work or to visit family, she didn't start to really travel until age 70, when she obtained a passport and left for Europe, relatives said.

Miss Ralston remained active throughout her life. She moved into The Mather, an assisted living residence near downtown Evanston, where she enjoyed socializing with friends.

"She liked to visit with people, but she was not one of these extroverted people," Betty Ann Ralston said. "She always claimed she was kind of shy. She was very nice, so people always liked her."

Betty Ann Ralston remembered sitting in a doctor's office when her aunt told her how her father's favorite president was Roosevelt.

"And then she said Teddy Roosevelt," the niece said. "She had to clarify that."

Miss Ralston remained healthy throughout her long life. Except for suffering a broken pelvis twice, she spent little time in the hospital.

"She was in very good health right up until the end," McGivern said. "She didn't have any arthritis or any of those pains like we had."